On Nov. 22, 1963, the New York Times had assigned only one reporter to what it thought would be a routine presidential motorcade through Dallas, Texas.
Little-known staff writer Tom Wicker got the assignment, and it turned him into a household name. Upon hearing the gun shots and seeing the Kennedy motorcade slow down and then speed off, Wicker went into action. He jotted down notes of what was happening on some White House stationary he had with him.